Much as happened in Chicago, the tenure of coach Vinny Del Negro with the Los Angeles Clippers ended despite obvious successes, his undoing coming thanks to disagreements with management and tepid support from his players.

The move was not a surprise, as there were fractures in the Clippers' hierarchy for much of the year. Del Negro, coaching in the final year of his contract throughout this season, knew he was under pressure to win now and take the Clippers deep in the playoffs.

Because of that, he had little patience for the development of center DeAndre Jordan, and the two clashed frequently — early in the season, Del Negro was hoping the team could acquire a veteran big man, possibly the Cleveland Cavaliers' Anderson Varejao or, when Varejao was injured, Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics.

Yahoo! Sports first reported that the Clippers would not bring back Del Negro.

The Clippers did win a franchise-best 56 games, earning the Pacific Division crown for the first time in team history, and getting a spot in the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time since 1993. But when the playoffs came, the Clippers squandered a 2-0 series lead against the Grizzlies and lost in the first round.

Del Negro’s problems with the front office were not helped by less-than-enthusiastic support from players, particularly point guard Chris Paul. While the Clippers were a success in the regular season, a source told Sporting News that players wanted a stronger voice in the coach’s chair, and that Del Negro’s bland offensive system should be replaced by something more innovative and up-tempo.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because many of the same things happened with Del Negro in 2010, when he was let go by Chicago. With the Bulls, he took criticism for his handling of point guard Derrick Rose, whom he would frequently bench in the fourth quarter because of his defensive inexperience. When it came time for the Bulls to make a decision on Del Negro’s future, Rose was rumored to be unsupportive.

In Chicago, Del Negro had a bigger problem with the front office, and in late March of 2010 Del Negro had a heated argument with team vice president John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman. At that time, center Joakim Noah was recovering from a foot injury, and the front office felt that Del Negro was playing Noah too much.

Now, the Clippers will focus on who’s next, and Paul is expected to have plenty of say in that decision. That could lead the team to recently deposed Cavaliers coach Byron Scott, who coached Paul with the Hornets for the first four seasons of his career and happens to be an ex-Lakers star who is from Inglewood, Calif. Another former Laker, Brian Shaw, is a possibility, too.

The Warriors’ top assistant, Mike Malone, also worked with Paul with the Hornets and is expected to be a candidate, and former Blazers coach Nate McMillan will get consideration. Rumors that the team wanted ex-Magic coach Stan Van Gundy were shorted by Van Gundy’s assertion that he intends to take another year off.

In all, the deposing of Del Negro now brings the total number of open coaching spots to eight. The Cavaliers already filled their job by re-hiring Mike Brown. The Kings could boost the number of jobs to nine, depending on what happens with coach Keith Smart as the franchise moves to new ownership. Memphis coach Lionel Hollins was the Grizzlies in the conference finals, but is technically a free-agent-to-be, in the last year of his contract. He is expecting to stay in Memphis, but with so many openings, he will be a much-sought commodity.